Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis Distillery

Founded: 1825
Stills: 2 Wash 2 Spirit
Capacity: 2 Million Litres
Water Source: Alt a Mhulin
Owners: Nikka

1955-1971: Coffey Years.

In 1955 the then owner of Ben Nevis, Joseph Hobbs, decided to install a Coffey Still for the production of grain whisky as well as malt. This led to some very interesting experiments at the distillery in the shape of blending grain and malt spirit from the same plant as new makes and maturing them in the same cask. So Ben Nevis can claim to be one of the only distilleries (along with Lochside) to have produced a ‘single blend’ whisky. The expressions that were subsequently bottled years later, such as the 1962 40yo which was a fascinatingly herbaceous, fruity and orangey expression of Ben Nevis which lacked the usual power of its other aged malts but added something more complex and elegant, were very interesting and unusual whisky.

1971-1986: Meaty West Highland Malt.

When the distillery was sold in 1971 the Coffey still was deactivated and the distillery focused all its efforts solely on malt production once again. The spirit it produced was a rich and powerful dram, full on highland in style with big oiliness, spice, meaty notes, some austere fruitiness and quite harsh flinty tones as well. This style of whisky is quite difficult and readily evident in most of the bottlings, both official and independent, that were distilled in this era. They are worth seeking out as Ben Nevis can be an all too easily forgotten or overlooked spirit, but whisky from these years is often a grizzly treat. The distillery was closed for a number of years in 1986.

1991-Present: The Nikka Years.

Not much is known about the specifics of the production methods at Ben Nevis or how they changed when Nikka took over the distillery. What is certain however is that the distillate has not been quite the same since the reopening under new ownership. Ben Nevis distilled since 1991 has displayed a certain thinness by comparison to older expressions. They are marked by more obvious estery notes of pears, nail varnish, green apples, garden fruits, cereals, vegetal notes and grassy qualities. It gives bottlings from this era more of a wild card element. The best examples can be very vibrant, fruity and citrusy with an elegant highland oiliness and slight eccentricity. However the worst ones taste like paint stripper and pear drops. It is a distillery with which to exercise a certain caution these days but in general it is also a distillery that has given us many great drams over the years and for that it will always be well worth trying.

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